Midnight Snacks
by ChristyLoisGilmore17
Summary: Right after episode "Boom," maybe Beckett stayed longer at Castle's place. What happens when Castle, Alexis and Beckett can't sleep? Castle/Beckett, although there isn't much involvement yet. You'll see... COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1: Oatmeal Cookies

_This story was written last week but it's suppose to be kind of after the episode 18 from the second season called "Boom!". I wasn't sure when I was going to publish this. Especially since when I was younger I wrote some fanfics and they weren't as good. I feel like I've improved and I hope you enjoy the story. This story kind of works for before tonight's episode "Den of Thieves" but at the same time wouldn't make sense either with the comments in the episode. I won't say anything yet, just in case there's a few fans that have yet to see it. Though I was thinking of making another chapter and now that I've seen tonight's episode, I really want to. Let me know what you think or at least favorite it if you don't have time to leave a review. I've seen some great Castle and Smallville fanfics on this site but sometimes don't know what to say to the writer. So I usually favorite their stuff. It's okay by me. By the way, if you see any errors, please let me know and I can fix them. _

_Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. I don't own Castle. Or Richard Castle, even though I wish I did. haha... I do own a copy of "Heat Wave" and reading it right now. I also wrote this story before I starting reading the novel. _

_I hope you enjoy the story. Thanks! - Christina_

_Also, clcummins12 is now Beta Reading my story. She will help me with the errors and improving it._

_**Notice: **__This chapter has been edited from it's original post._  


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**"Midnight Snacks" **

In the middle of the night, Richard Castle walked quietly from the sofa to the kitchen. He was having trouble sleeping because he was sleeping on the sofa. Normally he wouldn't be doing this but Kate Beckett recently had lost her apartment and he decided to have her stay at his place with his daughter. His mother had moved out a day or so ago, but her stuff was still in her room. It would always be her room, Rick thought to himself, just in case she ended up coming back, which she normally did.

He might also have been having trouble sleeping just with the thought of Beckett being in his apartment. They had already solved a few cases but she hadn't found a place to stay, which he didn't mind. In just the past few mornings being at his place, she has been making breakfast, and to Castle it seem like she was just at home. Her being there has kind of caused him to feel something but he wasn't sure what it was yet. He certainly wasn't going to talk to Ryan and Esposito about it. They were sure to blab about it at the Precinct. Lanie might be useful to talk to but she likely might talk to Beckett. Then there was his daughter. He always liked to talk to her about some things going on in his life.

Just as that thought went through his head, he opened the fridge to get some milk and cookies. Castle liked to keep his cookies cold. By the side of the fridge, he opened a cabinet and took out a glass very quietly. Again to try to not make a sound and with the fridge still open, he took the milk and poured it into the glass on the counter and placed it back into the fridge. Then he grabbed his cookies. He placed them on the counter with the glass of milk and closed the fridge slowly. Castle then took his glass and cookies to the middle counter so he could sit there on a bar stool. Just as he sat on the bar stool, he started to dip his oatmeal raisin cookies into his milk. Suddenly he started to hear something moving. Had he woken up Beckett? Castle knew she wouldn't appreciate that in the morning since she was an early riser.

"Hey Dad! What are you doing up?" said Alexis Castle. She was wearing her pajamas and slippers and looking very sleepy while she was walking towards him from the stairs.

"I should ask you the same thing, pumpkin," said Castle starting to eat one of his cookies.

"It's actually not good to eat late at night, it makes it harder to go to sleep," said Alexis. She went to the counter and sat down beside her father on a barstool.

"Nah, that's why I'm drinking milk, that should help me," said Castle. Alexis was about to speak and he started to continue, "I'm actually having trouble sleeping so it wouldn't really matter. I would likely have trouble sleeping even if I didn't have a snack and then I would be hungry too."

Alexis' face grew in concern about her father. What could be worrying him that he was unable to go to sleep? Usually he's able to sleep with no problem. At least that what she thought anyways. Then she looked to the sofa in the living room, and remembered that he was sleeping there the past few nights since he let Beckett sleep in his bed. She began to think about how it was really nice of her father to let Beckett stay at their apartment for a while till she looked for a new place. Detective Beckett was someone she looked up to, and not to mention someone that her father seemed to really liked compared to the models he would hook up with. Beckett was his muse, his inspiration to write his new novels and he always followed her around to help her solve murder cases. Actually Alexis realized that he always talked about her too. No wonder Grams thinks that it won't be long until they are together. Alexis wouldn't mind if they were together as long as her father, as much as she cares for him, doesn't hurt Beckett. Her thought was stopped abruptly when she saw a hand wave in front of her face.

"Oh, sorry. I got lost in thought," said Alexis. She began to rub her eyes with her hands and her mouth yawned.

"You should go back to sleep. You've got school tomorrow," he said with more of a fatherly tone, "I'm sorry I woke you up." He was about to say more but Alexis cut him off.

"It's okay, Dad. Just don't stay up too long. You've got to go to sleep. I don't want you to be complaining that you feel tired tomorrow," said Alexis getting up from the bar stool and putting back to place.

"Hey, I'm the parent here," he says jokingly, "Don't worry. I'll try to sleep in a few minutes. " He showed her the cookies. "These have to be eaten sometime." He gave her a smile. She patted him on his shoulder. Before she went up the stairs, she turned around to look at him one more time. "If you ever need to talk to me about Detective Beckett, just let me know. I'm glad she's here but I don't want you to lose sleep over it." She smiled to him.

"Why would you think that it's about Beckett?" Castle said.

"Why wouldn't it be about her? Whenever you talk it's about her. I think it's kind of sweet," she said.

"Really?" he said as he started to smile. "What would you say if I started to have feelings for her but I'm not sure about it?" Alexis got excited and her face brightened up. "Don't get too excited. Remember I'm not too sure about what I'm feeling right now. It could be because she recently had that near death experience and I thought I would lose her or because she lost her place and she's moved in temporarily. Maybe it's nothing at all." His smile began to fade.

Alexis looked at her father seriously. "Dad, I think this is something you should think about before you tell her. As much as I would love that you told her right away, it's best to figure out what you are feeling before you tell her and make sure you are ready to change what you have with her. I don't want you to hurt her."

"I don't want to hurt her, Alexis. That's the last thing I want to do. You're right what if I tell her about my feelings and she doesn't feel the same way. I don't want things to change," he said.

"Things have to change, Dad. You can't live the rest of your life just going out with women that you don't really care about and not give a chance with someone that you do care for. Don't give up so easily, just think about it for a few days at least but don't lose sleep over it," she said. He tried to smile. She turned back around to go up the stairs. "You're right about one thing though."

"What's that?" Castle asked.

"I do need to go to sleep," Alexis said as she walked up the stairs.

He lightly shook his head and smiled. Then began to ponder again. Maybe his daughter is right, he thinks. He should go to bed and later he could think about it more.

He took his glass to the sink and rinsed it. Then he took a few cookies he had left and placed them back into the fridge. As he finished putting everything away, he walked to the sofa to lay down. Castle closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep and after 30 minutes fell asleep. As he was going into second stage of sleep, someone began to walk down the stairs. This time it was Kate Beckett. She got to the last step and she saw Castle sleeping on the sofa. He looked peaceful to her and especially less annoying than his waking self. Quietly she walked through the living room to the kitchen to not awake Castle. She noticed a washed glass by the sink and wonders if it was there before because she doesn't remember seeing it before she went to bed.

She was having trouble sleeping which she decided it could only be her because she has seen Alexis and Castle sleep. Then she grabbed a half glass of milk. When she placed back the milk in the fridge, she began to notice a package of cookies opened. Only Castle would leave his cookies in the fridge, she ponders. She was the kind of person that liked to have her cookies in the pantry where she thought they should be.

Kate thought about it for a second and realized that the cookies were Oatmeal Raisin. As long as she could remember, she has always loved these cookies. Many times during her childhood her mother would make cookies for her and her father because he loved these kinds of cookies. The memories were causing her to smile. She grabbed a few cookies from the package and closed the fridge. She found a few napkins and placed one underneath her cookies. When Kate snapped out of her memories, she decided to place glass of milk and cookies on the middle counter. She pulled out one of the barstools to sit on that was the opposite side of where Castle and Alexis were sitting earlier. While she was eating her cookies and drinking her milk, Kate could see all the way to the living room where Castle was sleeping on the sofa. Looking at Castle, she began to ponder about her apartment that she lost in the fire and how nice it has been to stay at Castle's even though he did not have to invite her to stay until she found a place. She's already tried to look through the Classifies in the newspaper for places she could live but with no luck.

Maybe she didn't want to get another place, no she couldn't think that way. Castle can't stay sleeping on that sofa for much longer, she continued to think and she doesn't want to intrude. Kate is sure that Alexis doesn't mind but after awhile Alexis might get use to her being here, and she doesn't want her to hurt Alexis when she ends up leaving. So the quickest way to find a place the better. Could there be another reason why she wants to stay? She can barely withstand Castle at work, why would she want to be around him more? She shook her head, it hopes the thoughts would go away. It will just ruin what ever they had. Kate didn't need that.

She threw her napkin away in the trash-can under the sink. She rinsed out the glass and placed it right next to the other clean glass by the sink. She looked out and saw Castle again with no covers on. Kate went into the living room, and grabbed the blanket that was laying on one of the chairs by the sofa to place it over Castle's sleeping body. She looked at him for a second and then slowly, quietly walked away from him towards the stairs to go back to sleep.

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_Thanks for reading. If you do have any comments on improving the story, if you want a second chapter, or anything else you want to add. You can comment, but it's okay if you don't._

**_Extra Author's comment: _**I've noticed a few people have commented wanting another chapter. I'm working on one right now but it's not completed yet. I've been really busy with college studies (papers, presentations, and soon finals) so if I do add another chapter it might take a bit longer. Some of the next episodes might change the chapters or give me new ideas as well. I'm glad people have enjoyed the story and liked the characterizations. Thank you to all who have reviewed (or comment, I use these words interchangeably because I use facebook too much).


	2. Chapter 2: Just Say Something

_Soon after I wrote the first chapter I noticed a few reviewed saying that they wanted a second chapter. Even though I've been busy. I wrote this next chapter actually in two sections. First after "Den of Thieves" and the last part of the chapter was written tonight after this week's episode "Food to Die For." I'm not sure where I'm going with this story. I'm just kind of writing things after the episodes come out and by your request. I did enjoy watching "Food To Die For" especially since Kate Beckett said she likes Oatmeal cookies. It made me think of my fanfic and I got excited. I don't even know how I find time to watch the show but I do. Lately I've had a lot of studies to do. I'm in college and finals start this week. Luckily I only have one final and one research paper left to do. Somehow after all the studying, I just feel like writing fanfiction on Castle. I can't wait to see what happens for the finale. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. - Christina_

_**Notice: This chapter is in the editing process. Forgive me at this moment for any errors. Soon they will be corrected. **_

_Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended... I still don't own the show Castle or Richard Castle or even Nathan Fillion. Even though I wish I did, but wouldn't we all.  
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Why did he wait so long to tell Beckett that he had feelings for her? Now she's fancying this new detective, Demming. On the sofa, Castle had woken up from a nightmare of Beckett telling him that Demming would be replacing him and that he could leave. It cause him to start thinking about his feelings that he just realized he had, even more so now that she wants Demming around all the time. It's like she can't get enough of him. What's so special about him anyways, Castle thinks. Just thoughts about Demming causes Castle to crunch up his face with disgust. He's got to do something.

"Hey dad, it's nice to see you up. I would figure you would already be up by now," said Alexis. Then Castle turned to look to her where she was standing by the staircase and doesn't look happy but tried for his daughter.

"Why would that be?" said Castle started to look confused.

"Well, Beckett has already left for work. She seemed to be in a hurry. I asked her if she wanted you to wake up but she said it wasn't necessary," said Alexis worried about her father. "Should have I woken you up?"

"It is okay, pumpkin. It's not your fault," said Castle sweetly and then changed to distaste, "She was probably in a hurry to see Demming."

Alexis looked concerned, and began to worry about him. She wondered if it has anything to do with that moment when her father was trying to teach her poker and mentioned something about having a 'poker face' helping sometimes but not all the time. Already changed to go to school, she goes into the kitchen to get some breakfast. There were some pancakes and bacon made by Beckett for her. She could tell that her pancakes had a letter 'A' with blueberries on a green plate. She guessed the rest of the pancakes were for her father. Since Beckett hadn't created any letter on the other pancakes that were on a blue plate. She took her pancakes and a glass of milk, and just then her father started to walk towards her and grabbed the other pancakes from the stovetop. He also grabbed milk and both of them quietly walked to the kitchen bar. They sat down on the bar stools and started eat their pancakes. Then suddenly Castle broke out of his thoughts.

"Why didn't she want me to come along with her?" said Castle sadly.

Alexis started to give him a sad look on her face. "I shouldn't have told you…"

He interrupted her thought and said, "Don't worry about it." He looked to his pancakes and pushed them away. He noticed that Alexis was still worried about him especially since he stopped eating his pancakes. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

Alexis was going to respond to him but he had already started to up the stairs. He went to his room and changed his clothes so he was ready to go. Then walked back down. During that time, Alexis started to eat more of her pancakes and after she finished them she started to clean her plate as her father came closer to her. She noticed and asked him what she wanted to ask him earlier.

"Are you sure you'll be fine? You know you can always confide in me, right?" said Alexis trying to give him a cheerful smile.

"Yeah, I know," said Castle trying to smile. He grabbed his coat and started opening the door. "I've got to just show Beckett that nothing will stop me, not even Demming."

Just as Alexis was about to ask him what he was going to do, he was already gone.

Castle walked into the precinct determined to do something. Actually he didn't know what to do but it would be better than doing nothing. While he was walking, Ryan and Esposito were watching him come in and also Beckett with Demming in one of the rooms. They didn't know how he would react to Beckett spending more time this morning around Demming but they knew something was up. They almost wanted to bet on it but decided against it until they found more information or something better to bet on. Then they started to hear laughing, they both looked to Castle and noticed his face looked hurt. Beckett was laughing really loudly that everyone could hear her, and it seemed like Demming was the cause of it. Castle then started to walk faster to the door of the room Beckett and Demming were in. He got there before Ryan and Esposito could stop him. He opened the door and went inside the room.

As he walked into the glass room that looked out to the city, Beckett suddenly moved away from Demming and crossed her arms. Demming was just smiling and started to look at Beckett and Castle who were staring at each other. Castle could see that Beckett's smile that she had when she was laughing was beginning to fade. He couldn't determine what her emotion was from looking at her face.

"So what was that funny joke? It might be useful to add to my new book of Nikki Heat," Castle said then turned to Demming, "You know the one I based off, Detective Beckett."

Beckett was still looking at Castle and then to Demming to see how he would respond to that. Why does she feel like she's doing something wrong every time she's around Demming and Castle comes in? It's not like they were dating, but it did seem to bring her a feeling that she hasn't figured what it could be. Castle has been acting odd to her lately, she couldn't figure out.

"Oh, I know of your books. I actually read 'Heat Wave' before coming to this precinct," said Demming. "But it was mostly out of curiosity."

"So what did you think of it? For a writer, it's always good to know people's opinion on their work," said Castle.

Demming looked to Beckett and she smiled to him. Then Beckett waved her hand so he would continue. She wanted to know his opinion on the book as well. Beckett began to lean back on the desk in the room while Demming stood up, away from it.

"It was okay. But it really didn't show much fighting. Beckett here is a fighter," Demming said He looked to Beckett with a happy face, which made her smile because she thought of the moments they had of "working out." Castle looked between them and he lost his hope. No way he could compete with Demming, thought Castle. As Beckett broke off from the moment with Demming, she looked at Castle and noticed that he has a sad look on his face. She didn't know where it's coming from.

"Castle, what's going on?" Beckett said sounding a bit angrier than she meant to. "I mean. Do you need something?"

"No, I was just wondering why you left my place so early," replied Castle.

Soon as he said that, Beckett realized what he said could be interpreted differently to Demming.

"Demming, it's not what you think," she said strongly.

"Really? I already told you that I wanted to go out with you, and you agreed. Did you forget?" said Demming. He looked hurt.

"No, I didn't forget. You just don't understand," said Beckett.

Castle started to look happy and then changed because it might not be a good thing for him to look happy. Beckett got worried and wondered why Castle wasn't saying anything to help her.

"I understand completely. I've seen how you two work together and even though it's different than the book. It shows me that you two have finally realized that you two have feelings for each other. Someone did mention to me that they had a pool for both of you to see when you guys get together. I guess, someone is going to be getting some money today," said Demming.

"Lanie, told me about that pool but we really don't have anything going on. I promise. I just lost my apartment several weeks ago because of a fire, and Castle has been helping me by letting me stay at his place with him and his daughter, Alexis," said Beckett. She looked away from Demming to Castle for help again.

"Yeah, I've been sleeping on the sofa but I don't mine. I would help Beckett no matter what, and my daughter loves having her around," said Castle trying to smile but not too much, "Beckett is like a role model for her, and Alexis hasn't really had a mother in her life so I'm glad that Beckett can be there for her too."

Demming just nodded. "I'll let both of you talk to each other, " he said.

"No," said Beckett, "We need to talk, Demming." She almost felt like she was begging him to stay and talk to her.

"There really isn't anything to talk about. You might be interested to me, but it's him you want. Plus he's seems like he needs you," said Demming seriously.

Beckett didn't know what to say.

"Don't worry, I'll be going back to my precinct soon. I was planning to ask to stay here longer, but I don't see that as necessary anymore," said Demming.

As Demming opened the door and started to walk out of the room, Beckett said in a rush, "I don't know why everyone keeps saying it but I don't want Castle. He's just shadowing me for his novels that's it."

Demming doesn't respond back to her and keeps walking through the precinct to leave. Beckett watched him go, as Castle looked hurt.

"Is that what you still think of me? I'm just someone that is "shadowing" you? I thought by now we would be more than that," said Castle.

Beckett was just about to respond when Castle started leaving too and didn't wait to see what she would say.

Castle walked out of the precinct and decided to go home. He didn't care if there a murder case today to solve, he was going to stay home. While this was happening, Beckett kept standing unsure what to do.

Maybe Madison was right. She has feelings for Castle. He's had been acting differently, almost like changing a new leaf. This last murder case of Balthazar Wolf was getting to Beckett. Something that Castle and her talked about with Cecily Burkett. Could there be some similarities? Was she actually talking about her, Castle and Tom? There's nothing she could do about it now. Both Demming and Castle have already left.

Beckett walked over to her desk and started to look at her computer. She checked her e-mails, worked on some paper work, and then there wasn't anything more to do.

"Beckett, there has been a murder. Esposito and I are just going out to check on it? Are you coming?" said Ryan.

She started to get out of her chair and pushed the chair back to the desk. "Sure, let me call Castle," responded Beckett. She hesitated for a second to call him because of what happened earlier. While she was thinking about it, her hands were working on their own and speed dialing number three to call him. Beckett let the phone ring for a bit and when he didn't answer, she put it away. Normally Castle answers right away. Frustrated about Castle, Beckett followed Ryan and Esposito out of the precinct.

Castle arrived at his empty apartment. His mother had been visiting a lot lately since she's moved out. So it seemed odd that she wasn't there. Alexis wouldn't be here for a while, she was still in classes till 4 pm and then he would have to go pick her up at her high school. Unless Alexis plans to go to a friend's house to hang out, which Castle isn't too sure if he would be happy about that or not. She could help him feel better from what ever he was feeling right now about Beckett. He needed to write. Castle started to place his coat onto the sofa. Then he walked to his office and sat down at his desk, he opened up his laptop and turned it on.

He opened a Word document to try to write another chapter of his book. He knew that he needed to start working on it. Gina had already gotten annoyed with him for not giving her some of his progress. Castle started to stare at the screen, the page is still white and he couldn't understand why the words weren't coming to him. He knew what the plan was for the story but it seemed not to work with him anymore. How could Nikki Heat have a relationship with Rook? Why did he create another character that was quiet annoying that was fancying Heat too? His feelings for Beckett were beginning to affect his writing. Something he never had a problem with before. He looked at the blank white document again and slammed the computer screen down.

Agitated Castle in his chair turned away from his desk, leaned back on the chair and placed his hands on his face. He started to close his eyes and move his hands away from his face. After a second with his eyes closed, his phone started to ring. He quickly opened up his eyes and looked at his desk where his cell phone was. He grabbed it to answer the phone and noticed that Beckett was call him. He thought about answering her and then decided not to. He wasn't ready to talk to her. What if it was about a murder? No, he didn't need to be there around her right now. Since he was already holding his cell phone, he starts speed dialing number two, Castle without realizing was calling his daughter while she was at school.

"Dad, is everything okay? Usually you don't call me during the day," said Alexis.

Castle sitting up at the sound of her voice. "Oh, I'm sorry Alexis. I shouldn't be bothering you at school. I just wanted to talk to you."

"It's okay, Dad. I'm having lunch. I'm able to chat for a few minutes. What's up?" said Alexis.

"Beckett. It seems like she's the reason why I can't get any words written for the book," said Castle.

Alexis concerned said, "You haven't told me that you've been having any trouble writing your next book. How long has this been going on?"

He started to rub his head with his hand and moved his hand through his hair. "It's been a week or two, actually longer than that," said Castle.

"What? Dad, you told me you were writing, and that's why you've been going early to see Beckett at work. Wait, you've been going early for another reason. Does this have anything to do with her going out with this new detective you've been mentioning about?" said Alexis.

"Tom…" said Castle in disgust. "Yeah, I had hoped that if I went early I would be able to interact with Beckett before Demming would."

"You're really got it bad for her, don't you?" said Alexis.

Castle sighed. Alexis picked up on it. "What happened today? Something must have happened? Lately you've been coming home late. I'm worried about you, Dad."

"Oh, pumpkin. I shouldn't have called you. I don't want you to be worried about me. I'll be okay. I'm just going to stay home today and work on the book. Maybe I'll write something. I'll let you go," said Castle.

"Alright, but it would help you to talk to Beckett. Only resolving this will help you write. But it's up to you, Dad. I'll see you in a few hours," said Alexis.

They both said their goodbyes and finished the call. Castle sat in his chair and started to hear the silence again. He couldn't stand it. He stood up and went to his radio on a table by his bookshelf in his office. He turned it on and raised up the volume of the music up. It was an upbeat song, "Just Say Yes," from the Snow Patrol. He wouldn't normally dance in this mood but he felt like dancing. It was something that didn't make him have to think at all.

"Beckett…Beckett! What do you want to do?" said Esposito.

Soon as she heard him say her name, she got out of her daze she was in. It seemed odd not to have Castle around adding commentary, looking into the scene, and just being Castle. Why? Was she getting use to him being around? She couldn't think anymore. She just had to go away and figure this out before she got into this case.

"How about you and Ryan find all that you can and let me know what you find. I've got to go. There's something I've got to go figure out," said Kate Beckett.

"Does this have something to do with Castle?" said Esposito. Just as he said that, Ryan came over.

"What about Castle? Why isn't he here already?" said Ryan.

"Something happened between Beckett and Castle. That's why he isn't here," said Esposito looking at Ryan.

"No way! Why didn't he tell us?" said Ryan.

Beckett moved her hand up and waved it in the air. "Boys, come on. He doesn't have to tell you both everything."

"But he usually does. This is big. What happened?" said Ryan. Esposito and him leaned in to hear what she was going to say.

Beckett responded, "It has to do with Demming and him having misunderstandings about what I said."

"Ah…" said both Esposito and Ryan.

"What? Is there something you two aren't telling me?" said Beckett.

"This is just something that Castle should tell you," said Ryan.

Esposito nods. "Yeah, I agree with Ryan."

"Fine, I'm going. Keep me updated," said Beckett.

"Will do," said Ryan.

Beckett walked off while Ryan and Esposito watched her leave.

She drove in her car to Castle's. When she arrives at his door, she planned to knock but suddenly heard music coming from inside. Also noticed that the door seemed to be a bit open.

"You shouldn't leave your door open, Castle. You know that…" said Beckett walking into his place. She got to the living room and the music is getting louder. The song sounded familiar. Beckett realized it was a song she heard in the car a while back while Castle was coming along. She began to smile. She remembered that he had tried to sing along to this song. As she arrived at his office.

She saw him dancing in his office, using his cell phone as a microphone as he was singing.

"_I'm running out of ways to make you see /I want you to stay here beside me/ I won't be ok and I won't pretend I am…"_

He had this song repeated over and over after he heard it the first time on the radio earlier, and also because it reminded him of Beckett. It was most like when he was singing, she was coming to him. This eyes were closed but it felt like she was there in the room.

Beckett kept watching him wondering if he has noticed her already.

"_It's so simple and you know it is /You know it is, yeah /We can't be to and fro like this/ All our lives /You're the only way to me /The path is clear /What do I have to say to you…"_

As the song kept playing, he kept singing along and as it got almost to the end he started to dance with the music.

This made Beckett smile, and then she remembered why she was there.

"Castle…" she said loudly in hope that he would hear her over the music.

Her voice broke him out of the spell of the music had him under. It stopped him from dancing and started to look at her. The song ended and there's just silence.

"I came to see if we could talk," said Beckett.

He just stood there looking at her amazed that she was there standing in front of him.

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_Thanks for reading!_

_Extra Author's note: I noticed here and on some reviewers already want a third chapter. It likely won't be written until Wednesday or Thursday. When it does, I'll post it right away. My last final is on Wednesday. That's mostly the reason why but also want to see if the new episode of Castle will inspire me. Which I think it will. _


	3. Chapter 3: What's the truth?

_The first part of the story kind of continues with the second chapter, but I wrote this whole chapter after watching "Overkill" twice. I've been listening to "Crash and Burn" by Lighthouse, "Shut Up and Kiss Me" by Orianthi, and "The Truth" by Kris Allen over and over while writing this chapter. I was weirdly having trouble writing this chapter. I knew an idea of what I was going to write but it ended up changing a bit. I can't wait to see what happens in the finale on Monday but I'm going to be really sad because we will have to wait a whole summer to see more Castle. By the way, I also wrote this chapter after watching the TV show Firefly and the movie Serenity on DVD. It's amazing and so is Nathan Fillion in both of them. Anyways, I hope you all like the chapter, and I think I'll be writing one more chapter next week. Also if you see any errors in this chapter please let me know and I can fix it._

_Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended... If I owned Castle, Richard Castle would kick Schlemming's butt already. Also this is what I would tell him, "It's all about strategy in this game, Castle. If you want to win, you've got to figure out his next move, and then move forward, before you get checkmate."_

_clcummins12 is a great Beta Reader. She hasn't finished looking through all the chapters yet, but she will. I want to thank her for helping me find my errors, and also helping me to improve my story.  
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He turns off the radio, and waves to her that she can sit down in one of the chairs in his office. She sits down on a white chair by his desk. He walks back to his desk chair and sits.

"I'm glad to see here but shouldn't you be at work right now?" says Castle.

Beckett thinks about her response and it shows on her face. What should she say to Castle, she thinks. Could she say that she has feelings for him? What about Tom? She still wasn't sure about him either. Like she told Castle before, he's the person disturbing the applecart. She even used apple because she remembers him saying that 'apple' was the safe word for him. She wonders if he got what she was talking about wasn't about the case but about them. Maybe she should be going to talk to Tom.

"Well, Ryan and Esposito were wondering where you were. I figured you would figure out there was a new case since you always jump for one, but you didn't come and they kept bothering me about it," says Beckett.

"Aw, you missed me, Beckett. I'm sure Ryan and Esposito missed me too but they wouldn't come and find me," said Castle. He started to grab a pen from his desk and move it around his fingers.

She starts to put her hands crossed on her chest. "I didn't…" she says. He smiles to her. "Okay, I did. It was weird working without you, happy?"

"Yeah, so what did you want to talk to me about?" says Castle leaning back in his chair.

She moves forward to him in the white chair. She was wearing a red blouse and black pants while he was wearing his typical purple long sleeve shirt and black pants. She noticed he wasn't wearing a tie anymore, he must have taken it off when he got home.

"I just feel bad from this morning. I didn't mean what I said," says Beckett.

Castle face changes from his smiling face to serious almost sad. "I think you did. I mean you want Tom," said.

"Why does it matter to you, about Tom and I?" says Beckett. "What I was talking about was what I said about you shadowing me, you mean more to me than that now."

He leans forward on his chair, almost to hear her better. "Really? What would that be?"

"You're helpful on cases, you make things better on them too, you've been a good friend…" she says listing the things that come to mind.

He nods. "Friend, huh?" he says.

"Yeah, we're friends. We all are," said Beckett. She was talking about her and everyone else in the precinct. That wasn't enough for Castle. He's realizes that he wants her more than that.

She was more than one of his conquests, more than just his muse, more than a friend, he wanted to be with her. He couldn't imagine not being around her. But it didn't help being around her and Demming. It just hurts him.

"You're going later to Demming and get back together with him, right?" said Castle.

She thinks about it. There's a part of her that wants to say here and tell him, she wants to be with him but then there's a part of her that thinks going back to Tom would be better.

"Yeah, Castle, I will. I just want sure we are in good terms first," says Beckett.

He thinks about it for a second. "We are."

"Good, so are you coming for the case?" says Beckett.

"Nah, I should say and try to write," Castle says.

Her face gives a questionable look. "I didn't think you had to try, Castle."

"Well, to be honest, Beckett. I've been having a bit of trouble writing, but don't worry. You'll see the book in September," says Castle.

The way Castle was looking at her and what he was saying was worrying her.

"Well, you should stay here then and work," says Beckett getting out of the chair. "I'll see you later, right?"

"Yeah, I'll be here all day and all night. How is looking for apartment going for you?" said Castle.

She gets sad, thinking that he wants her to leave from his place. He notices. "It's not that I want you to leave, Alexis too," says Castle. "I just figured you would be wanting to leave, you know with everything to do with Demming."

"I haven't found anything good so far, but I'm glad I'm still able to stay here until I do find a place," said Beckett looking to him and walking towards the door.

"I'm going to try to talk to Demming about it and see what happens. If he isn't okay with it then maybe it's for the best that we aren't together. If he can't understand that I need to stay here for a while longer," said Beckett. "I should go."

"Okay," he says nodding. He tries to smile and wave like he wants her to leave to get things done. He opens his laptop again. Showing her that he's about to work. She smiles, and leaves though the door of his office and out of his apartment.

He opens Word and finds the document he was using for his book. He looks at the words he's been writing and starts to think of a new character, Schlemming, who has an annoying 100-watt smile.

Beckett made up with Demming. He was so annoyed and hurt. He tried his best to find out about the latest case before Demming but he still won in the end. He was kissing Beckett. It's late at night, it's probably best for him to go home like he said to Beckett after congratulating her on the case. She would be likely either coming after to his place or staying at Tom's. He didn't care. He rather not see her more tonight.

He goes back to his place and opens the door. His place was quiet once again. He goes up the stairs to his daughter's room. She was already sleeping. He didn't know if he was relieved or not. Wait, was his mother in her room? That puzzled him. He thought Martha wouldn't be sleeping her anymore. Not that he mind having her here. He walks back down the stairs and goes to his office. He sits back in his desk and turns on his computer to try to write some more. Not that he really wanted to. Nikki wasn't inspiring him at the moment.

It was already past midnight, he was walking to the kitchen. Alexis and Martha were talking. Before he got there, he stopped and heard what they were saying.

"Your father has been acting weird lately," said Martha. "Do you know why that is?"

Alexis going to the fridge, gets a milk carton and a glass and turns to Martha.

"Grams, Dad has been having trouble writing. You know how odd that is. Plus I have noticed something bothering him especially when I talk to him about his writing," said Alexis.

She puts her glass of milk in the middle counter in the kitchen. On the counter was some cookies. Wasn't her dad eating these a few nights ago? There were only two left. He must have eaten more than she thought.

"That is odd, Alexis. What have you noticed about his writing? It feels like I barely am here now a days," says Martha.

"Yeah, I miss you around, Grams. Well, he seems to have introduced a new character suddenly and that's not the odd thing about it," says Alexis getting closer to her like she's telling a secret.

"What is it, honey?" said Martha getting curious.

She drinks a bit of the milk. "It's the fact that when I told him that he should take out the new character Schlemming, he started to cross him out with the red pencil and said "I wish it was this easy" like it was real."

Martha goes around the counter and gets closer to Alexis. "Well, we do know he based Nikki Heat off of Kate Beckett. Could this new character be based off someone that Kate might be interested right now?"

Alexis had a look like she was thinking. "It could be. It was something I was thinking about. He has talked about this robbery detective that has been helping out on cases and he sounded a lot like the character."

Richard Castle still listening in, became surprised how quickly Alexis noticed that about his new character and then though about it and realized that his daughter has always been smart in knowing about things.

Then the main door to the apartment started to open. He could see her walk into his place, and he tried to step back quietly so no one would hear him.

"Hello, Alexis and Martha. What are you two doing up? I figured both of you would be asleep by now," said Beckett.

"Hello, Kate…" both Alexis and Martha say simultaneously.

"Well, I was asleep but then I woke up and I was hungry," said Alexis.

"You are so much like your father, honey," said Martha. Alexis smiles at her and continues, "I was sleeping but something woke up…" Martha smiles back at Alexis.

"I'm sorry Grams, I didn't mean to wake you up," says Alexis.

"It's alright," says Martha, "I know you didn't mean to." They both look at each other and then look at Kate Beckett.

"So, Kate, what are you doing up?" says Alexis.

"Oh, I was out with someone tonight," says Beckett trying not to say, almost because she doesn't want to say whom she was out with.

Martha gets excited and says, "Was it a date? Tell us girls about it."

"Yeah, Kate, we want to know. If you want to tell us," said Alexis.

At this moment, Richard Castle wants to move from his hiding spot and go up the stairs and go to his room so he can't hear them talking about the annoying robbery detective. Yet he doesn't move. He can't.

"Sure, Alexis, I was out on a date with detective Tom Demming," says Beckett.

Just as she says that Alexis almost spits the milk she was drinking, realizing that she was right all along. Her dad's new character was based off someone in real life. All Martha could do was smile but she was thinking about what Alexis had told her seconds ago.

"So how was it, Kate?" says Martha. Since Alexis couldn't respond, she was still trying to process it all.

"It was okay, he's still not happy that I'm staying here. He thinks I should already have found a place by now," says Kate trying to not look at their faces.

"Well, Kate, honey," Martha says moving forward to her, "You're always welcome here."

"Yeah, I've really enjoyed you being here, Kate," says Alexis, "If he really is bothered by it, maybe he doesn't deserve you."

Castle hears this and it makes him smile.

"Thanks both of you," says Beckett. "I think I should go to bed. Where's your father, Alexis? He's not sleeping in the sofa."

"Huh, I didn't even notice that he wasn't sleeping in the sofa. I guess I'm use to him sleeping in his room or falling asleep in his office. I bet he's still in his office," says Alexis.

Castle starts to quietly move from his spot to the office. As he enters the office, he hopes that they didn't notice or hear him but he closes the door loudly.

They all hear the door closing. "That must be my dad closing the door of his office," say Alexis. "He's been having trouble writing lately…"

Beckett notices how Alexis looks worried. "Don't worry about your father, Alexis, I'm sure he'll get through it."

Martha looks to both of them and then says, "I think we should all go to bed. It is kind of late."

The three agreed and went up the stairs to their rooms. Castle was still in the office, sitting in his chair looking out the window at the dark sky.

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I hope you like this chapter. Thanks for all the reviews. Please let me know if you notice any errors so I can fix them.


	4. Chapter 4: What Are We Waiting For?

_Here's the fourth and final chapter for everyone to read. I wrote this after the season finale with my story in mind. So it's a bit different than the other stories showing up about the season finale. I've really enjoyed reading a lot of them. I would say chatting with other fans about Castle, reading the fanfiction, watching the fanvideos and the season finale helped inspire me to write this chapter. I also found some great songs that I felt were very Castle/Beckett when I heard them and inspired me to write as well. I hope to write more fanfiction of Castle. It was amazing feeling to write about Castle. I hope I find another plot idea to write about soon, even if it's not about Castle and it's just original. I just want to write. Kind of like our favorite writer, Richard Castle. _

_I want to thank so much, my betareader **clcummins12**, that has helped me look through my fanfic for improvement and edits, and also looked over this last chapter. In this process, I feel like I've become friends with her and a few other Castle fans on Twitter and this chapter goes out to them. This chapter ended up being really long so I was thinking about posting it into two chapters but I think it will be okay as one. It also doesn't let me do double spacing like I want on fanfiction . net. _

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended... I also mention the songs that I used in the bottom "end notes." Those songs don't belong to me either, I just enjoy them. **

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He was driving away from the city with someone he wasn't expecting. Castle was silent while he was driving but he had the radio on. A Carrie Underwood song was playing, "This Time." Gina had never seen him like this before. It was like he didn't have any emotion. It was good to drive, it helped him think about everything but the more he thought about it, the more it hurt him. He saw Beckett stand there looking hurt when Gina interrupted their conversation. He wanted so badly to tell Gina to leave but he didn't. Castle still thought that she was still with Demming, so he kept up the act that Gina was fun to be with and the whole time it wounded him to see her hurting. Why did he do it? It didn't make any sense. Why did he invite Gina? That's right to help him finish his book. Sure, it was great to talk to her for hours; it was a nice distraction from the hurt he had been feeling. Something was telling him he shouldn't be leaving the city with Gina but he kept going even though it was hard for him.

Beckett was still standing in the same spot after Castle had just left with his ex-wife on the trip he had asked her first. Why, she wondered, did it take her so long to tell him how she felt? Now it was too late. She broke up with Demming, she found a new place a week ago, and she was all alone now. All she wanted to do was to go to her new apartment and go to sleep because it was better than standing here, feeling her heart break.

Esposito, Ryan and Captain Montgomery helped clean up the party leftovers while Lanie came up with an idea to help Beckett. As she watched them clean and saw Beckett standing there hurt, she couldn't figure out what to do but help her friend get home and help her in whatever way she could.

Before Lanie knew it she was in front of Kate. "Honey, how about I take you home?"

Kate heard Lanie speak but she was still in a daze. It took her a while until she finally found her voice in order to respond. "It's okay, I'm going home right now. You can stay."

"No, girl, I really want to help you. That's what friends are for," Lanie said. She gave Beckett a hug and held onto her while they walk out the precinct.

When they were at Kate's place, Lanie didn't know what to expect from Kate. She looked at Beckett who was walking through the apartment and went to where Lanie expected her bedroom was. Beckett closed the door, and Lanie decided she was going to stay the night on Kate's sofa in hopes that she can help her friend in need.

Several long hours later, Richard Castle and Gina arrived at his beach house in the Hamptons. It was already past midnight. Gina had tried to cheer him up but all Castle did was stay silent. He grabbed their bags from the trunk and took them inside. He dropped them in the living room and he went into his bedroom. Gina was about to go with him, but he pushed her away.

"What's going on, Richard? Since we left, you've been acting different. Does this have anything to do with Kate? If so, you need to stop. You've got a book to write," said Gina.

Richard looked to her, stone-faced.

"It is about her and I want you to leave me alone. I'll give you that damn book soon," said Castle tired from the long trip.

"Leave you alone! Really? Well, you haven't been able to write before this, I think I should be here so you'll finish this book or you never will," said Gina angrily.

"I sure can't write with you bothering me…" said Castle looking into his room. He just wanted to go to bed. Maybe it was all a dream.

"What do you want me to do, Richard?" asked Gina tired.

"I've already told you," said Castle pushing her away again and walking into his room.

"Maybe you just need a good night's sleep…" said Gina.

He closed the door and cut her off by saying, "Goodnight, Gina!"

Finally he was alone. Castle didn't even have the energy to change out of his clothes and just fell into bed. It was probably the first time, in a long time, which he fell asleep after 2 seconds on top of the mattress full of covers.

The sunrays were shining through his windows. Castle wasn't ready for another day, especially one filled with Gina. He locked the door; got changed, and looked around the room. He noticed that some time during the morning Gina had left him with his laptop on his desk in his room. He sat down at his desk ready to work, and looked out the windows. They showed a wonderful beach morning, and didn't even describe how he was feeling. He wanted to see a stormy beach with gray clouds but this had to do.

He started to write again, and somehow words were appearing onto the page. Castle wrote all day, and then it was 6 pm. He heard the door open.

"You know it's not good to write with an empty stomach?" said Gina smiling. She was happy that he was finally getting to work.

Castle scrunched up his face. "Didn't I lock the door?"

"Yeah, you did. It took me all morning and afternoon to find a spare. I've brought you some food. I'm glad you're working on the book now," said Gina.

"Thanks, Gina. Just leave it on the dresser. I'll eat soon. I've got to work some more on this chapter," said Castle. He ruffled his hair with his hand.

"Sure," Gina said still smiling, "I'll just close the door again, and you can keep on writing, just don't forget to eat. I'll be in the other room working on some things, if you need me."

He heard the door closed and he sighed in relief that she was gone again. He looked out the window and noticed that the weather had changed. His writing must have distracted him from noticing the gray storm clouds that were coming. He went back to writing. After 30 minutes, he stopped and looked at the food that Gina had brought to him. He closed his laptop and moved it out of the way. He picked around, eating what he wanted and placed the tray outside the door.

She was lying in her bed, almost all day. This wasn't her. She should be working. The only time Beckett had gotten up that day was to turn on her radio. The whole day she had been listening to the same radio station. She didn't want to move. She knew Lanie was worried about her but she hadn't come in all day to give her space. It was already getting late, she thought, looking out the windows. She also noticed that there was a storm coming. Just what she needed. The radio had been placing songs that were exactly how she was feeling. It was like everyone knew.

"_I remember years ago/Someone told me I should take/Caution when it comes to love/I did…"_

As she heard the last lines of the song, "Impossible" by Shontelle, it sounded so much what she would say at this moment. Like another song she had heard earlier, _'when a heart breaks, it doesn't breakeven'_. She was hearing all these songs that she hadn't heard before because she was finally taking time to listen to them and not working. Why wasn't she working? Oh, that's right. Her favorite author came into her life; rewrote it but forgot to give her a happy ending. Then there was this other song she heard. She didn't like the rapping but she did like the first few lines of the song.

"_Can we pretend that airplanes/In the night sky/Are like shooting stars/I could really use a wish right now…"_

She really could use a wish, at this moment. Then again she would need a lot more than one wish. She wished she had said "yes" when he asked. Beckett wished that Gina didn't come in when she did. She wished it was a dream and he wasn't in his beach house, but sitting outside her door begging her to forgive him. She had to be realistic, those things would never happen.

Beckett even heard the song, "Bulletproof," sounding like something she would do. Close herself off when he came back. But she didn't want to, she didn't think she would be able to. He would walk into any room and she knew whatever she tried to do, he would break down the walls once again.

Even though she was lying on the bed, she could tell Lanie was coming back into her room to check on her. Maybe this was a good time to get up, change and go into work, even if it was just for a bit. It's not like there would be a lot of things for her to do. She had already finished most of her paperwork, and unless a case came in, she would likely be sent home.

"Kate, I'm really worried. You've been home all day. I decided not to go to work, just in case you needed me. I don't know what to do to help you," said Lanie.

Beckett sat up and smiled at Lanie. "Thank you for being here."

"No problem, girl. What are friends for," said Lanie smiling at her but still looking concerned.

Kate Beckett went to her closet for new clothes to change into. "You should go home, I don't want you to be worried about me. I'm just going to take a shower, change, and go into work for a bit."

"Are you sure, Kate?" said Lanie still having a worried expression upon her face.

"Yeah," said Beckett smiling to her and waving her to leave.

"Well, I'll let the boys know that you're coming in so they know," said Lanie starting to leave.

"Alright," said Beckett as she was took her clothes with her to the bathroom.

After 30 minutes she had finished showering and changed. Realizing that she hadn't eaten yet, she decided to pick something up on her way to precinct.

She arrived with coffee just like he liked it and drinking it was making her feel a bit better. It was almost like he was there, even if he wasn't. Beckett noticed Esposito and Ryan looking at her as she came in and sat at her desk. She wasn't going to think about what had happened. She came in here to work. After a few minutes she found a rhythm while going through paperwork. If she had known how much paperwork made her feel better, she would have done this earlier.

Over where Ryan and Esposito's desks were, they were talking about maybe telling Castle what had happened and hope he realized how much he hurt Beckett. They also knew a new case came in, but they didn't want to tell her because they knew she would want to bury herself in the case. They knew that it wasn't something she needed right now.

"Ryan, you stay here and watch her. I'll call you if I need any information or if I get any," said Esposito.

"Sure, while you're at it. You should call Castle. I can't since she might notice," said Ryan.

"Good idea, and remember if she's here more than 4 hours, try to convince her to go home," said Esposito.

Ryan looked to Beckett and then to Esposito. "What if I can't?"

"Then tell the Captain, I'm sure he will convince her." said Esposito. "But I'm sure you can bro." Esposito padded Ryan on the arm.

Ryan went back to working on his paperwork, while looking over his computer to see how Beckett was doing. Esposito grabbed a few things off his desk and left.

Beckett couldn't handle the silence. It seemed like everyone had already left for their three day weekend. She looked online for a certain song she heard some time today. What was it? It has something to do with "release me." She finds the song and played it loud enough that Ryan could hear it.

"_I don't know why I want you so/Cause I don't need the heartbreak…"_

Then she realized that it might bother him and turned it down.

"It's okay, Beckett. It wasn't bothering me. I'm just doing paperwork. You can turn it up if you want," said Ryan smiling at her.

"Alright, as long as it isn't bothering you, Ryan," said Beckett. She smiled back at him, turned up the music, and began to work again.

"_I don't know what addictive hold/You have on me I can't shake/No, I'm not in control/So let me go/Release me/Release my body/I know it's wrong/So why do I keep coming back/I say release me/Cause I'm not able to/Convince myself/That I'm better off without you…"_

Before she knew it, it was midnight and the rain began to pour hard.

He looked up from his laptop hearing the rain hit the window. What time was it? He looked back to his laptop for the time. Midnight, already, he thought. He had been writing a bit more. It was like writing was helping him deal with everything. It made her closer to him, even if Beckett wasn't. He looked at the rain. It was so nice. He laughed, Gina won't be happy about it. She never did like the rain.

He hoped that Gina was in her room, he wanted to get out of his room for a bit but not get bothered by her. As he walked out, he noticed that the coast was clear. He walked to the kitchen and grabbed some milk and cookies to take back to his room.

He was so glad that during the time he was writing, Alexis and Martha had called to check in on him. It was really nice to hear their voices, especially when he felt alone. Sure, Gina was here, but he was kind of surprised because she wasn't bothering him while he was writing. Good, he thought, maybe she actually heard him last night about not bothering him. Yet he was still nervous thinking that she might pop out and surprise him any minute, telling him that he needed to get back to writing.

He got back to his desk in his room and placed down his "Richard Castle" coffee cup filled with milk and a plate of sugar cookies. He didn't seem to have any oatmeal raisin and he wasn't sure why. He didn't mind. He wasn't picky. He was tired of silence, even if he liked hearing the rain. He placed his headphones into his computer and started to listen live online to one the radio stations he normally listened to. It sounded like he got on during the end of the song.

"…_release me/Cause I'm not able to/Convince myself/That I'm better off without you."_

Suddenly he felt this feeling in his chest and as quickly as it came, it went. It caused him to look at the ocean, the waves crashing onto the shore. He stamped out of it when his phone started to ring. He answered it right away because he didn't want Gina to hear it.

"Castle," he said while walking to his door and closing it.

"Hey Castle…" said Esposito a bit angrily.

"What's up? Is there anything wrong?" said Castle getting a little worried.

"There is actually and it's because of you," said Esposito getting angrier.

"Wait, what did I do?" said Castle confused.

"Beckett hadn't come in all day and she just came in when she shouldn't. You know why, Castle?" said Esposito.

"I bet she was with Demming. It doesn't have anything to do with me," said Castle with a sad voice.

"No, she actually broke up with him. Didn't she tell you? At least that's what she was planning to tell you, according to Lanie. She has been trying to help Beckett all today because Beckett hadn't eaten any meals, she was just laying on her bed listening to music till now and now she's at work," said Esposito.

Castle didn't know what to say. He was happy that she wasn't with Demming anymore but it didn't seem like her to act this way, and what did it all have to do with him. He let Esposito keep talking.

"You hurt her, Castle, by leaving and going off with your ex to the Hamptons," said Esposito.

Something in Castle snapped. "What? But she doesn't feel that way towards me."

"Well, she just realized it when you left. You broke her, and be careful. It won't be just Lanie wanting to kill you when you get back," said Esposito.

"Just let me explain," said Castle.

"Fine, Castle, I know it wasn't your fault. I just don't like seeing her hurt. No one here does," said Esposito calming down.

"I know. I don't want her hurt either. I didn't know that she wasn't with him, so I invited Gina. I don't know why. I kind of told her to stay way from me since I got here," said Castle. "I didn't want to be here alone, and if Beckett wasn't going to come then I thought to bring Gina to stop her from bothering me and because Beckett was planning to go with Demming on vacation."

"Well, man, what are you planning to do?" said Esposito.

"First tell, Gina, that she can leave. I can finish the book without her. Then I guess call Beckett, if she answers," said Castle.

"Sounds like a good plan, Castle. I've got to go. I'm working on a case with Ryan right now so I don't have much time to chat," said Esposito.

"Sure, talk to you and Ryan later," said Castle. He was already thinking of his next step in his plans.

"We'll keep you updated. How long are you going to be out there?" said Esposito.

"Just for the summer, I still think it would be good idea to work on my book on my own for while. I'll be back in the fall. I don't think I could completely leave Beckett…" said Castle.

"I know, but you need to tell her that," said Esposito.

Castle ended the call. He went to the room that Gina took to stay in. "Gina, " he said waking her up.

"Yes, Rick, what do you need that you woke me up for?" said Gina.

"I just wanted to let you know that you'll be leaving in the morning," said Castle.

"What? Why, Richard?" said Gina confused and still sleepy. "I bet you just need a bit of rest you'll change your mind in the morning."

"No, actually, I wanted you to leave right now but since it's getting bad outside, I'll let you stay for the night. I'm serious and I promise that I'll stay here all summer and finish the book, even work on the next one," said Castle.

"You are serious. Fine, I'll leave but I'm still going to call and you better answer. I expect to get more updates on your writing," said Gina.

"I promise I'll answer, and I'll update you," said Castle urgently. He wanted to move on to his next step before he lost his courage.

"This is about Kate, isn't it? Well, I hope you call her to resolve whatever issues two have. The faster you do, the better for your book," said Gina.

"Already on that, Gina," said Castle with a smile. The first real one he's had since he's gotten there.

"I'll leave early in the morning. It will be like I wasn't even here," said Gina.

"Thanks, I'm really sorry about all this," said Castle.

Gina just pushed him out of the door so she could go back to sleep.

He went back to his room, closed his door, and got onto his bed to make his important phone call.

When she heard the phone ring beside her, she knew who it was. Part of her didn't want to answer it but her heart wanted him so she did.

Before he made that call, he heard the music coming from his computer. He forgot to turn it off when he left. He goes to turn it off and hears the last part of the song.

"_Don't you know you have my heart/And I could never walk away." _

But he did walk away from Beckett. Why did he? He never wanted to hurt her, and without even trying, he did. When he got to the line, "_All we've got is love left to lose," _he knew he was doing the right thing by calling. He decided, just to turn down the music and not turn it off. It might help motivate him to call. Why was it so difficult? He's called Beckett many times before, but this was different.

He looked at his phone and speed dialed her number. This was it. He hoped she answered.

"Beckett," she said, and he was able to breathe correctly again.

"Hey, this is Castle. I know right now you're mad but you've got to let me explain," he said.

"There's nothing that you need to explain," said Beckett calmly on the phone.

"Yes, I do. I know I didn't know that you had broken up with Demming but it wasn't right for me to quickly ask my ex-wife to come with me, even though I didn't want her here," said Castle quickly in fear she might hang up.

She listened, she didn't know what to say. Beckett was hurt, and she wasn't willing to forgive right away but she was going to give him a chance to talk. The silence she was giving him was killing Castle.

"You can continue, Castle, I'll listen," said Beckett trying to sound strong but he could tell she was hurting. It was his entire fault. He couldn't dwell on it. He needed to explain.

"Gina, is leaving tomorrow. She really isn't helping me. She actually has just been in a different room since we got here. I've gotten some work done. I'm going to stay here this summer to get my book done but Gina won't be around," said Castle.

"It doesn't matter to me if Gina is around or not," said Beckett.

"Yes, it does," said Castle. She doesn't respond to that. He continued, "Even though I'm gone, I've asked Esposito and Ryan to keep me updated, and I hope you and I can keep talking on the phone."

She wonders why he's asking. Why he wants to talk to her? She wasn't important. It was like he could read her mind.

"You are important, Beckett. I can't do this book without you. So will you call me every Tuesday night at 9 pm?" said Castle.

"Why? Why do you want to talk to me?" said Beckett.

"Remember when you told me that you liked having me around?" said Castle.

Beckett smiled at the memory. He could picture her in his mind right now. "Pigtails," she said.

"Yeah, well, I need you. You're more than just an inspiration for my novels, you are more than just a partner and maybe even more than a friend," said Castle. "I know this summer is going to be hard but we need it. We need this distance, and before you know it, fall will be here."

"To be honest, Castle. I don't know if I can do it," said Beckett.

Castle's smile began to fade. "What do you mean?"

"I don't think I could keep coming to work without you here bothering me, bring me coffee, and just being you," said Beckett.

"I'm glad to know I'll be missed," he said.

"Castle!" she said smiling even though annoyed.

"I know it will be tough, it's been tough for me too. You've just got to find something that will distract you, but don't let it control your life too. I want you to have fun, Beckett, just not too much," said Castle smiling again. "Maybe you can hang out with Lanie or something."

"Thanks, Castle. That goes the same with you. Though I hope you aren't hanging out with any women while you're there," said Beckett.

"Jealous?" said Castle jokingly. She knew it too.

"No, it just would be a distraction to you. Relax by listening to music, going out to the beach, and talking on the phone with people you care about," said Beckett.

"I like the last one," said Castle. This was just what she needed. Who knew one phone call would help her feel so much better.

"I think you're right, Castle," said Becket.

That cheered Castle up. "What did you say?"

"I'm not going to say it again. If you didn't hear it then you're out of luck," said Beckett.

"Darn," said Castle. He was finally feeling better. He knew if they kept up with the calls it would make this distance more bearable. "So what was I right about?"

"You know, having phone calls. I think I'll call you, next week, same day and same time," said Beckett. "If I don't, you better. I might be a bit busy but I'll find time."

"I'm glad that I'm able to work into your schedule," said Castle. "I will call, if you don't."

"Good," said Beckett. They were both grinning on the phone. Ryan could tell the difference, and knew who had called. He was so relieved. He went to go call Esposito, and Lanie to let them know that Castle had called.

After this call, Castle and Beckett had many other calls during the summer. They looked forward to their day, each week, and made the summer better than they had hoped. Castle and Beckett still hadn't told each other their feelings but these calls were a step in the right direction. There was still much they had yet to go through and that was going to happen in the fall.

* * *

_By the way, I also sent this fanfic, with a letter and an envelope for an autograph to Nathan Fillion. I really wanted him to read it and enjoy it. Sadly, I sent the last chapter unedited. I wish I waited but I'm glad I sent my package anyways. I told him if he was still interested he could check it online here or on CastleTV . net _

_I hope you enjoyed the chapter and the story! _

_Here's the name of the songs I was listening to or mentioned while writing this chapter (plus the songs I listened to that ABC had a list of from the Castle episodes)…_

**"What are you waiting for" – My Favorite Highway **

**"Love Left to Lose" - Sons of Sylvia**

**"That's what I'm here for" – Jason Castro**

**"Release Me" –Agnes**

**"What you waiting for" - Mizz Nina feat. Colby O'Bonis**

**"This Time" – Carrie Underwood**

**I also listened to the song "Crash and Burn" by Lifehouse. I love it now, but it has meaning because it reminds me of Richard Castle. **


End file.
